Lily POV-

Lily understood her responsibilities to the boys, but didn't feel the need to stay cooped up in the common room for the rest of the evening. She knew everyone else was at dinner, but didn't feel she could keep a good eye on the map with all the people in the main hall. She finally settled at the library. Maybe she could do a little studying for O.W.Ls in the meantime.

She sat up camp at one of the many tables. All who were there were a group of Hufflepuffs in a far corner, and a Sytherin boy a little far off.
She placed the map out all the way, 'like a good girl,' she heard Sirius say in her head. Then she wandered a little far down the aisle of books.

She didn't know a dark haired Slytherin boy was peering over tables at a certain map…

James POV-

It had been only almost an hour of running around in the forest that James received a nasty cut on his leg, and went back to the Shrieking Shack to take a rest. Remus seemed to lose more of himself every full moon, and it became increasingly harder for the boys to keep him even somewhat under control. James was trying to remember any spells that would help heal his wound.

Just as James was about to transform and make his was out into the woods yet again, he heard a noise from outside the tree… and again...

'No,' he thought, 'some body is here.' The noise came again. It resonated off the dirt walls of the entrance to the shack.

After it was all over, James claimed he could smell Snape coming before he saw him. Either way, he only had but moments to prepare. He grabbed his wand from the windowsill, all the while limping – the cause being his leg, bleeding yet again. He made his way out of the door, into the entrance connecting the shrieking shack to the Whomping Willow, where he made out the silhouette of a boy on the side of the dirt wall. It could only be Snape.

Snape seemed only too expectant to see James. James took on a calm voice, "You need to leave."

"There's no point in leaving now, Potter. You're already in trouble. Expelled for this, what do you think?" He said while looking around.

"That's right," James said. "I'm in trouble. Nearly as much as you'd be in if I told the Headmaster what you do to muggle-borns-- which I will if you don't leave. If you could just be a good boy and LEAVE, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, have a nice day." He pointed toward the exit.

"Not so fast, Potter. I want to see what you've got hidden down here." Snape made his way to pass James, whose leg was nearing unbearable.

"Stop, Serverus!" James yelled, followed by a few swear words. If he were to advance any further, Snape would surely find that the place led to the forest, where Remus, what with his state becoming worse and worse every time, would make sure to attack.

"Potter, if you don't move, I will not hesitate to hurt you." He said threateningly, as if looking for the opportunity to say such a thing.

It was enough for James. "Petrificus totalis!"

He missed. It was dark.

"Expellerimus!" Snape missed as well, and instead, hit a boulder forming part of the wall.

That was when James' world come crashing down. It was loud and over bearing. James had his hands over his ears. 'Just wait for it to stop,' he told himself, 'then there will be a way out.' It did stop, but the noise did not. He could still hear it; it was pounding in his brain and ears as if the walls were still coming down, if not, then louder. After a millennium of intense pain brought on by the un- subsiding chaos, the pain stopped. The pain stopped everywhere but his leg.

Snape was wide-eyed and speech-less. James cursed at him again. "Why do you have to be such a git? Such a good for nothing GIT! Such a pig, who only cares for himself? I hate you!" he cried. "The headmaster knew we were here!"

James was silent again. He closed his eyes. It was only when he opened them again did he realize how very small the place really was. ' Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic.' He opened his eyes again, and dropped to the floor. He brought his knees up to his chest. He said calmly, "Is there any way out of here?" he heard the bustle of movement created by Snape.

' I cannot believe my luck… I am stuck in a small confined space with my worst enemy. I want to die right now. I want to be dead.'

"No way out. Good job, Jamsie."

It was no time for him to argue. He was too busy with the mental image of the back field, with the tree and the lake and the open space and "What's your plan for getting out of this one, Jamsie?"

'Shut up, Snape, shut up.'
The walls were closing in slowly.

The grass, the sky, the space of the back field, the "So are you going to tell me what you and your gang of friends are doing down here?"

'Oh, god, just stop talking.'
The ceiling was lowering.

The Main Hall! The high ceiling, the giant windows, the oh… the massive amount of food and the "Your little girlfriend let you down didn't she?"

Clam chowder.

"SHUT UP!" James lost all of his images. He felt the familiar pain balloon in his chest. His breathing deepened. The area was spinning. It was hard to breathe. He screamed and some of the rocks fell. He could feel, no, hear his hands trembling. "If you had gone into the forest…" his voice came out small, "you'd have…"

A serge of pain shot through his leg, and he passed out.

Lily POV-

He had been barely blinking in and out of consciousness all day. She knew skipping her classes would have an effect on her O.W.Ls, but she decided staying with James was more important. While waiting for him to wake, she stared out the window, and found herself thinking of her aunt. And in that, she found herself making comparisons between her aunt and herself. Then she got angry. She got angry at her aunt for leaving and betraying her, but in the back of her mind she recognized the person she was really angry at was herself.

James coughed himself awake. Lily handed his some water. He drank it, set it down, and then stared straight at her.

"James, I'm really sorry. I-" Lily blurted.

"I trusted you, Evans." …Evans… he had said it flat out. It nearly killed her. It was in that moment he spoke that she realized she couldn't justify herself. She knew the magnitude of what she had been trusted with. Trust—that word made her angry again. She had trusted and relied on her aunt, and her aunt and betrayed her. James and the boys had trusted and relied on her, and she betrayed them. Where did she go from here? She knew she wouldn't forgive her aunt if given the opportunity, she why should James forgive her?

"I'm very sorry, James." She said it sincerely, then left the hospital wing with tears flooding her eyes.